(American National Standards Institute: Washington) -- For decades, the effects of climate change have melted polar ice caps, driving polar bears to spend more time on land near Canada’s northernmost communities. As a result, bears and humans have been interacting more frequently—encounters that can be dangerous or even devastating for both parties. A new technology referred to as “bear-dar” is being tested to determine if it can help humans avoid contact with bears. Bear-dar uses a radar system that detects when polar bears are headed toward towns and sends out an early warning signal for people nearby.

So far, bear-dar has shown great potential in helping to prevent run-ins between humans and polar bears. The technology is evolving to improve accuracy and address challenges—for example, bear-dar units may detect motion from another large animal, like a caribou, and send out the warning signal needlessly. Artificial intelligence is being incorporated to help the units detect whether the motion is that of a polar bear or an animal that poses no danger to humans.

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